Woman ready for 200-mile fund walk

July 21, 2014

MARTINSBURG - Penny Kay Hoeflinger not only talks the talk, she walks the walk - literally.

The 67-year-old grandmother will embark on an about 200-mile hike Saturday from Martinsburg to Natural Bridge, Virginia, to raise awareness of human trafficking and to raise money for her Coffee House Farm in Jefferson County, which will be a haven for rescued victims of human trafficking.

Interstate 81 is a major route for human trafficking, she said, but she can't hike on the interstate, so she is taking U.S. 11, which follows the route of the Great Warrior Path of the Indians that ran from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, through the Shenandoah Valley.

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Hoeflinger

"And I'm a warrior," Hoeflinger said in a recent interview, displaying a pendant hanging from a chain around her neck with the single word "warrior" inscribed on it.

Hoeflinger will kick off her Warrior Walk at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Old Courthouse Square shopping center off Edwin Miller Boulevard in Martinsburg.

"I have this goal - I'm focused," she continued. "I'm going to have this farm, but it will be in God's time. The walk says I'm serious about this."

Hoeflinger has been planning the Coffee House Farm since 2011 and the walk for about a year.

She is in the process of raising money to buy a 12-acre farm a little south of Kearneysville on Bunk House Road. The asking price is $389,000. So far, she has commitments of about $200,000, but no cash in hand, she said in an earlier interview.

For the walk, she has about $8,000 in pledges, which she will receive after she completes the trek.

"I walk every day, but I don't know how far," Hoeflinger said. "It's an awareness walk, not a speed walk. I've been practicing walking slower to save energy. I've changed my diet. I eat a lot of raw foods, and nuts and seeds. My energy is really high."

That is an understatement to anyone who has met the diminutive Hoeflinger. Her stature belies a whirlwind of enthusiasm and passion.

Her doctor, Joseph Cincinnati, D.O., has told her to go only as far as she can, and then stop, not to push it, to be aware of her limits.

Hoeflinger has had her right hip replaced and then rebuilt after a car accident in 2008.

She is not going to let that stop her, though.

"There's some young man and woman out there right now being sold into slavery, so I can walk," she said. "I have this thing deep inside of me that won't let this go."

Hoeflinger also knows first-hand the tragedy of human trafficking.

"In New Jersey, I was sold from truck to truck (at truck stops)," she said earlier.

She also became addicted to drugs and alcohol. She has been in recovery and sober for 35 years. She is active in a 12-step program.

In 1987, Hoeflinger gave her life to Christ, she said.

Hoeflinger grew up on a ranch in Wyoming. She came to West Virginia in 1989.

She has a degree in addictions and a Master of Business Administration. She is working on a master's degree in psychology.

The Coffee House Farm will be a safe place for victims of human trafficking to heal their hearts, spirits and self-esteem, she explained.

One-on-one and group therapy sessions will be offered. There will be no time limit on the length women can stay at the farm so they have the time to transition into society.

Gardening and equine interaction will be available to foster a positive purpose in life, to learn to care about others and themselves, she said.

Hoeflinger still is looking for pledges for her hike and for help along the way. Some of her lodging arrangements have fallen through, she said.